Chapter 610 - 2: Beast World Cannon Fodder Bootlicker (2)
As the leader of the third tribe, Jiang Lai’s father, upon learning there was a new female in the tribe, demanded Hei Yao take the female to the High Priest for baptism.
Mu Mianmian was unwilling; she felt she did not belong to this tribe and did not want to accept its feudal and archaic management.
Moreover, after baptism, she must accept the pursuit of all the males in the tribe, which Hei Yao was even more reluctant about.
Within the Wolf Clan territory, there is a strict management system, and the leader naturally disapproved of an outsider female ignoring it, thus sent people to reclaim that piece of land.
Hei Yao knew the heroine valued this land greatly, and to protect her, he openly confronted the tribe, turning against his former clan members.
Why did Mu Mianmian value that land? Because it was the most fertile land in the center of the tribe, where seeds planted could grow robustly, and within the center of that land lay a hidden Spiritual Spring, whose water could not only rapidly catalyze plant growth but also strengthen bones, cure illnesses, and heal injuries.
After Hei Yao was injured while hunting, Mu Mianmian would use the spring water to heal him.
Of course, this spring was Mu Mianman’s secret, and the reason she stayed here was to collect the water from the spring.
When the first batch of plants matured on the land, to legitimately stay, Mu Mianmian agreed to the tribe leader’s request to teach others the planting techniques.
Mu Mianmian agreed generously, so many females in the tribe followed her to learn.
Jiang Lai was also sent by his father to learn from Mu Mianmian, but due to Hei Yao’s relationship with Mu, Jiang Lai never liked her, instead often using this opportunity to play with Hei Yao.
The two were considered childhood friends as Hei Yao’s mother and Jiang Lai’s mother had given birth to a male and female wolf in the same cave.
Because Jiang Lai’s mother possessed beast genetics, she was naturally strong from birth, different from other females in the tribe. Her physique was similar to that of a female but her strength was extraordinary, easily overpowering other males in the tribe.
Thus, Jiang Lai grew up training in combat techniques alongside Hei Yao, joining the male teams for hunting, trading, and warfare.
Hei Yao treated Jiang Lai like a sister, and whenever they got together, it was either to discuss hunting strategies or spar in the forest.
Due to this relationship, although Hei Yao avoided other females in the tribe, he remained somewhat close to Jiang Lai.
This closeness made Jiang Lai continue to have fantasies about Hei Yao.
After discovering the close relationship between the two, Mu Mianmian, as a knowledgeable and forward-thinking modern woman, naturally did not intend to fight like the Beastman for the sake of a mate.
She did not even mention to Hei Yao how she cared about their relationship.
In her view, Jiang Lai visited Hei Yao every day only to flaunt their relationship in her face.
Hence, Mu Mianmian, who never let herself suffer grievances, gave Jiang Lai seeds that had been scalded with boiling water while others received soaked seeds.
Other females managed to make their seeds sprout smoothly, but despite Jiang Lai’s efforts, the seeds she sowed remained dormant.
Because of this, she was punished by the leader to guard the granary.
Deep in the granary were the tribe’s most valuable plant seeds, crucial resources for the tribe; the more seeds, the stronger the tribe would grow.
Before guarding, Jiang Lai chatted with Hei Yao about the recent hunting trips late into the night.
The next night, Mu Mianmian brought Jiang Lai her homemade brew.
In the Beastman World, alcohol is a rare resource, made only by the High Priest, and Mu Mianmian’s brew was more aromatic due to using Spiritual Spring Water.
Usually able to handle three cups, Jiang Lai was drunk after just half a cup this time.
Mu Mianmian easily entered the tribe’s granary and took the seeds stored deep inside.
The following day, the granary was robbed, and the leader was furious, punishing Jiang Lai with three days and nights of no food.
With the seeds stolen, the tribe’s food reserves dwindled dramatically after the new planting season, at which point Mu Mianmian offered her own planted food to the tribe.
After this, Mu Mianmian’s status in the tribe skyrocketed, solving the tribe’s food issue and earning her respect akin to that for the High Priest.
The tribe experienced no losses; instead, Mu Mianmian established herself firmly within the tribe, achieving a win-win while simultaneously teaching Jiang Lai a lesson.
Due to the granary incident, Jiang Lai’s status within the tribe steadily declined. Although her father was the leader, with so many children, he cared little to lose one, making Jiang Lai an invisible presence in the tribe.
Several males had pursued her previously, but due to the granary incident, those males harbored grievances against her.
After all, food is paramount; without it, a tribe is doomed to extinction.
Soon after, a territorial war erupted, and all male warriors had to go to the battlefield. As a female warrior in the tribe, Jiang Lai also embarked on the path of war.
Hei Yao led the troops, with Jiang Lai as his deputy; their lifelong training together made their tacit understanding unparalleled.
The battle was against the Snake Clan, stemming from frequent conflicts over fishing rights as a large river abundant in fish ran along the Wolf Snake territory borders.
Eventually, leaders of both clans decided to use force to stake claim to the river.
Snake Clan members had human bodies and snake tails, adept swimmers; at the start of battle, Hei Yao was unstoppable, fighting against hundreds.
Yet, he was again distracted by a familiar cry for help.
It was Mu Mianmian’s voice.
She had secretly followed the team to the battlefield, intending to wait in a rear tent but was captured by an ambushing Snake Clan member.
Mu Mianmian was portrayed as a weak, fair-skinned female, and in the Beast World, while other females could only go into heat twice a year, Mu Mianmian, as a human, could conceive year-round, making her a fatal allure to any Beast Clan.
Hei Yao realized Mu Mianmian was captured and immediately turned to pursue the Snake Clan member.
In that instant, the Wolf Clan was leaderless; Jiang Lai chastised him for not prioritizing the greater good, yet Hei Yao only responded.
"Mianmian can produce a winter’s worth of food for the tribe; she is more valuable than anyone here!"
And with those words, he transformed into beast form and bolted away.
Left with no choice, Jiang Lai bore the banner, leading the troops to continue fighting.
The Snake Clan, numerous and skilled in ambushes, quickly defeated the Wolf Clan.
All tribe members wanted to withdraw, but Jiang Lai, considering Hei Yao had yet to return, sent others to retreat while she went to rescue him.
The outcome was an untimely retreat, and a young tribesman was killed.
The blame was squarely placed on Jiang Lai’s shoulders.
The war was lost, Jiang Lai punished, while Hei Yao, for protecting an important Wolf Clan member—Mu Mianmian—received an offsetting merit for his faults.